Limitless fundraising creating a political Wild West

6:14 PM,
Jun. 9, 2014

Jeremy Alford

Written by

Jeremy Alford
Columnist

How much money does a Louisiana politician need to win? More. In the increasingly competitive world of high-stakes elections, the answer is simply more.

In the not-too-distant past consultants could tell candidates that $7 million was required to become governor, or $2 million for a congressional seat. But that threshold, especially in recent years, has become a moving target as more third party groups supplement spending and the courts make way for special political action committees to raise unlimited cash.

The latter are known as super PACs and they're the ultimate status symbol. ...